Foster Care

Foster care is a temporary alternative to a child's natural home when that home becomes emotionally or physically inadequate for the child's needs. Foster children range in age from infant to 18. All foster children have unique backgrounds, experiences, and personalities.

Some may require extensive care for physical or emotional disabilities. Many foster children have been victims of physical or sexual abuse; some have suffered neglect. Some children and infants require more intensive medical care.

Foster Parent Qualities

Acceptance - Foster children need to be accepted, regardless of their actions or behaviors. Many foster children have suffered crises in their own home and may be resentful, bad-tempered or angry. Foster parents need to have the ability to give children affection and caring without expecting an immediate return of love and appreciation.

Availability - Fostering requires a lot of time. Responsibilities include taking children to medical appointments, therapy appointments, transportation, as well as spending quality time with them.

Cooperation - Foster parents in Ozaukee County are considered a part of a team. Their help is needed in developing plans concerning what is in the best interest of the child. Other members of the team include the biological parents, the social workers, other family members and attorneys. The goal is to reunite children with their parents, family member, or another permanent home.

Desire - Foster parents should possess a natural liking for children and enjoy caring for them. Foster parents should have a desire to make a difference in a child's life.

Family - An active commitment to fostering needs to come from all members of the family. The entire foster family needs to be willing to open their homes and their hearts to children. Foster children need to feel they are a part of the entire family.

Knowledge - Fostering requires a basic knowledge of child care skills, as well as familiarity of the stages of child development. These skills should help foster parents identify emotional, physical and behavioral indicators of abuse and neglect, as well as provide age appropriate discipline.

Stability - One of the biggest needs foster children have is the need for stability. Foster parents should have a stable home and personal life. Foster parents should be mature adults, happy in their own lives, who can provide children with love, security, understanding and stability. They should have the ability to remain calm in times of crisis and have a lot of patience.